‘The structure of Our Lady is saved as a whole’ Andrew Buncombe Notre Dame – besieged by a huge, ruinous fire that triggered anguish around the world – has been been saved from total destruction, a French firefighting chief has revealed. At the conclusion of a day in which people in Paris stood in horror as flames gripped the iconic 12th Century cathedral, destroying its spire and inflicting grave damage, officials said they have been able to save the structure of the building. “We can consider that the two towers of the north belfry Notre-Dame have been saved,” the senior official, Paris fire commander Jean-Claude Gallet, told reporters late on Monday. “The structure of Our Lady is saved as a whole.” The effort to save the building – observed by Parisiens who both hugged each other and sang hymns as emergency crews worked – was not without cost; at least one firefighter was reported to have been hurt in the effort to prevent the cathedral being totally destroyed. This sacrifice was recognised by Mr Gallet. “The work of firefighters has enabled us to stop the fire from spreading towards the northern belfry,” he said.